Caravan Hints, Tips and Stories for a family considering buying one !

[Trying2Learn]

Hi,

Well I am in the process of trying to convince the hubby to sell the boat that holds up the garage roof to buy a caravan

I feel we don't get away enough, as a young family it usually cost @ $150 a night to stay somewhere clean and that is just the accommodation.

In a caravan park it is about $30 a night, with my own bed I would like to do some caravaning while I still can as a family.

We looked at a Jayco camper trailer today and looked very nice for the price.

Any thoughts ?

 

[Gee Cee]

I think it depends on how much you REALLY see yourselves using it.
A nice new van is great
But consider the cost of the van. What you need to tow it with. Where you are going to holiday with it. Fuel cost.
Then the actual cost of staying in a caravan park per night. Usually $30 +.
Add on the rego, Insurance, maintenance and depreciation of the van
If you can see yourself using the van heaps during the year it may be a good purchase. Otherwise it could be just sitting in the yard costing you $$.
Myself i just prefer to hire cabins, motels, etc and not have all the bother.

Usually what i do is fly cheap Jetstar/ Virgin to a location. Hire a campervan and holiday that area. Then fly home.
Get to see everything. No purchase costs, no rego, no maintenance, insurance or storage Suits me!

Next holiday do the same somewhere else

Although if i was retired and wanted to do a big trip i would look to a secondhand van / Winnebago/ Jayco from a retired person that needs cash. Buy cheap, do the trip & sell it when I got back.

My thoughts

Gee Cee

 

[Y33]

Have you tried hiring a few different ones for 2-3 days to see what you like?

Are you the sort of person who prefers to just go to one place for a few days or will you travel around for a few weeks at a time?

How old are the kids and how many?

Some of the caravan sites have a check list that can help determine what suits your needs better as there are many variables.

 

[twobobsworth]

Get some really good camping gear. It will cost you far less to maintain and store. Yes your caravan will have its own toilet and shower but there are so many caravan parks that are built like resorts these days.

 

[skater]

Motel are expensive and the accommodation cramped. Caravans IMHO are no better. The cost to maintain a caravan is going to be huge and I really don't see much of a benefit to owning one.

When we go away we either hire a serviced apartment, unit or a house. Much cheaper and much better than a motel. We went to Perth this year and stayed at a 3 bed room, fully furnished home. The cost was $550pw. I book them over the internet. My favorite site is www.ozstays.com.au .

 

[Raddles]

Hi there
we had a Jayco camper trailer but sold it once our kids became teenagers - we found we couldn't get away as there was so many activities keeping us in one place - it didn't get used enough so it was sold
that said - we did enjoy it when the kids were younger - and it was very useful when we were posted from place to place - we could at least set up the jayco swan and use it whilst the rest of the house was a shambles - it also ended up being a bit of a cubby house for the kids to play in
thanks

 

[topcropper]

We looked at a Jayco camper trailer today and looked very nice for the price.

Any thoughts ?

Jayco camper trailers are great for a family of 5 or so to take camping, especially the off road models. We use ours 3 or 4 times a year and are heading off again in a few days to a nice river.

I'd only buy one to go camping in though. And I don't like staying in caravan parks, too crowded and cramped. If I'm going to the coast I want a unit 50 metres from the beach and elevated a bit so I can check out the bird life.

We like ours so much we will upgrade to a new model in a few years.



This is the sort of place me and my family like to go to, and stay for a week,......
October 08.......

See ya's.

 

[BayView]

Hi,

Well I am in the process of trying to convince the hubby to sell the boat that holds up the garage roof to buy a caravan

I feel we don't get away enough, as a young family it usually cost @ $150 a night to stay somewhere clean and that is just the accommodation.

In a caravan park it is about $30 a night, with my own bed I would like to do some caravaning while I still can as a family.

We looked at a Jayco camper trailer today and looked very nice for the price.

Any thoughts ?

Caravaning is great fun.

Just make sure you buy the absolute biggest one you can afford.

If you are away for several days with a a few kids, and the weather is sour, it's a very small place.

Pesonally, I wouldn't ever own one - I'd rather put the money towards investments that will return enough to buy a caravan many times over, and just rent one when you need to (same with holiday houses).

They are not overly expensive per night to rent, and you don't have storage or maintenance issues.

Don't underestimate camping either. It's not expensive to get set up really well, the storage is minimal and the kids absolutely love it.

We went camping in the USA many times. We had some of our best experiences this way, and it was dirt cheap.

Look for caravan parks and/or camp grounds with a decent toilet/shower block and you're set.

 

[yorke]

We looked at a Jayco camper trailer today and looked very nice for the price.

Any thoughts ?

It all depends on the size of your family, how many days you plan to be away,type of camping you plan to do,etc. There are plenty of free camp sites around the country, if you prefer free camps to caravan parks then you'd need to consider the type of setup/vehicle to suit that. For staying days and even weeks in freebies a shower/toilet setup, a generator/solar panels and lots of fresh water storage are a must, for staying in caravan parks they would useless. A bus conversion or self sufficient caravan would be ideal for traveling months or years at the time (no time wasted packing/unpacking each day) but if you are only going away 2-3 weekends a year or 1-2 weeks a year in a caravan park or national park it would be a waste of money and storage space at home. For weekend trips 1-2 times a year something like a $100 Kmart tent and a few 10Lt or 15Lt containers with water from Woolie would suffice. Once you had a bit of practice with setting up your tent you could do it in only a few minutes more then it takes to setup a camper and would not have the inconvenience of towing a trailer behind you.
I've met full timers of 30 years on the road who still enjoyed camping but also I also met a few recently retired couples who spent $$$ on vehicles ($180K for a motorhome in one case) to go around the block only to find they hated camping and after 1 month away they couldn't wait to get back quick enough and sell the vehicle so the planned 2 years trip got cut down to 3 months. Like someone else said before, try it first to see if you like camping and start with a basic tent to find out what type of camping and locations you prefer before deciding on the type and size vehicle to buy. Only after that price would come into consideration.

I'd suggest "Camps Australia Wide 4" from your newsagent and a tent trip for a few days. Start with a camping trip somewhere like Barrington Tops NP and stay at a couple of caravan parks or freebies along the way there and back to get the feel of it. The freebie on the outskirts of the town of Barrington is always popular during long weekends and you'll be able to see what other campers use. Talk to them, look at the setups they use and see if that would work for you before committing your $$$ on a camper or any other vehicle. Otherwise you may end up replacing your current roof holder with another roof holder.

 

[sue78]

The depreciation alone would kill you. For the $20k you could go on a few overseas holidays and just buy tents for camping in Oz.

If you stay at no power tent sites, it's only $10 a night plus you can use shower/toilet, and all the facilities in the caravan park. Big 4s are great for kids. If they're quiet they will let you have a powered site for the same price.

Also, there are so many beautiful places to visit in Oz, if you have a caravan you are restricted to where you live.

It's too much money. You may as well buy time share which is also a waste of money.

 

[Mary-Sue]

A bus conversion or self sufficient caravan would be ideal for traveling months or years at the time (no time wasted packing/unpacking each day)

That sounds pretty swisho, less disruption in the kitchen dept for us girls, with maybe a Nifty50 / scooter type thing on the back for nipping down the shops for the daily groceries and touring around by day.

 

[BayView]

The depreciation alone would kill you. For the $20k you could go on a few overseas holidays and just buy tents for camping in Oz.

If you stay at no power tent sites, it's only $10 a night plus you can use shower/toilet, and all the facilities in the caravan park. Big 4s are great for kids. If they're quiet they will let you have a powered site for the same price.

Also, there are so many beautiful places to visit in Oz, if you have a caravan you are restricted to where you live.

It's too much money. You may as well buy time share which is also a waste of money.

About now you'll have Evand chiming in with "You're wrong. It's their life; they are free to do what they want" and so on.

I've saved him the effort.

However Sue; I agree; the typical pattern is to buy the holiday house, or the caravan, or the time share. I live in a holiday destination, and there are loads of houses around us which are vacant for much of the year.

Even the townhouse complex where we rent currently, one of them has not had a single occupant in it since we moved in on May 1. Extremely large waste of money to me. I would rather spend the $400k they cost to buy on a huge stack of different holidays over my life to different locations.

A holiday house would be the worst of all 3 - it locks you into the working rat-race for many years just to pay the thing off, and most get used bugger-all..

I think the best value is to use your money (that would be spent on the above 3) towards an investment that will return many more times the cost of one of the above, and then have way more choice to visit many more places in the world, and probably retire younger into the bargain.

That's just me though; I can't see the benefit of going back to the same place year in and year out, but some people seem to like that. I need variety.

 

[wylie]

It's too much money. You may as well buy time share which is also a waste of money.

I generally agree...... BUT my brother has five kids and he and his wife bought a time share week at Southport about 20 years ago. A few years later they bought another week.

To be honest, it is the absolute cheapest way they will ever be able to accommodate seven people for two weeks every year. For them, it has been a fantastic investment (even if I have had to admit I was wrong when I bagged them out for buying it).

 

[Trying2Learn]

Thank you all for your replies.

My hubby has read them and said " see told you so !!" and is still not completely willing to sell the boat. Which is rego, insurance and services to the engine every year for 2-3 uses per year.

I am not really keen on buying a holiday unit as it does mean I go to that place all the time and yes we could put it into another IP but I am trying to keep this money as lifestyle money.

I like the idea of caravan camper as it is no more cost than the boat and we can go somewhere different for @ $30 a night camp fees. But it would only be a week at a time 4 times a year and a couple of weekends. I am thinking I will hire one and give it a go first as I am normally a hotel kind of person and not really into camping, but do like the thought of my bed, pillow and doona not someone else's lol

 

[sue78]

wylie - i went to a time share seminar, did the maths and worked out it wasn't worth it. Especially Accor as they have limited locations. Though they have time share all over the world but you would have to pay to get there. My cousin in Florida paid USD20k for a timeshare that she's still paying off and she has only useda 1 week stay in Orlando in brand new condos over a 5 yr period. You have to book way in advance and she's a business owner so she doesn't know when she can get time off.

Earlier this year, we got some cheap sale fares to Mlb, brought our 4p tent and inflatable mattress, picked up a hire car for $29 a day and borrowed some other essentials from my step bro in Mlb and went camping along the Great Ocean Rd. We spent like 5 nights and paid about ave $15 a night at caravan parks. We really had the bare essentials but it was great fun minus the thunderstorms every night. Next time, we'll just hire a Carolla, bring and inflatable matt and sleep in the boot!!

Sometimes it's great to go budget but other times you just want to relax and rejuvenate and that's when you need a 5 star hotel with brilliant spa facilities. They're the best and cheapest in SE Asia.

Gold Coast is so cheap. If you go on last minute websites you can get rooms as little as $99 a night. Hotelclub/ratestogo always has specials offers where you get $50USD credit. I have loads. You end up getting about AUD$70 off. I only paid $30 p/n for a 2 night stay at Seaworld, redeemeed SW tickets using credit card pts so it was a very cheap holiday. I love the GC coz it's so close to where I live and great for a quick get away.

Accor sent me a promotion flyer for $49 a night at Novotel Twin Waters Resort to book anytime from now to end of Jan max 2nights. I might take it up coz even on last minute sites, it's $279 p/n atm. They have a good spa and golf course.

 

[AlmostBob]

at least towing the boat, its tapered at the front, a little wind efficient, a van is square, and always loaded to the brink, about +100% to fuel costs,
poorly insulated, small, really small on a rainy day when the kids are inside

Dont do it
three times a year on the boat =
three times a year on the caravan and 49 times of 'I told you so'

 

[Mooze]

Go the camping gear - and if you're going to be staying somewhere longer than four days hire a house or cabin.

Timeshares can work really well - our family bought a fixed week one at Tangalooma back in 88, has been used every single year and we get a very good deal on accom (costs us around the same for one week as would general public for two nights).

Personally I've got a strong dislike of hotels from my days as a sales rep. I'd much rather be camping and in the middle of nowhere with a few friends than surrounded by tons of people in a strange bed in a tourist town. But that's just me and each to their own.

 

[yorke]

The depreciation alone would kill you. For the $20k you could go on a few overseas holidays and just buy tents for camping in Oz.

A good van looked after goes UP in value, specially if you get a last years model during the January and February stock clearance sales.

If you stay at no power tent sites, it's only $10 a night plus you can use shower/toilet, and all the facilities in the caravan park. Big 4s are great for kids. If they're quiet they will let you have a powered site for the same price.

Big4 = Big Evil, they are a bunch of un-Australian *******s trying to close down all the free camping areas around and taking to court councils who allows free camping. Biggest rippoff is the unpowered site scam, which btw is more like $20 or more and another $5/child, you pay to squeeze in what is virtually a shanty town when you can stay along rivers and in national parks for free or a small fee and enjoy nature which is what camping is all about.
Buy the "Camps Australia 4" or a similar free camp site book and you'll be in front after the first night.

 

[Pecan]

We did masses of camping when I was young. Dad hooked the boat to the car and we filled it up with tents and what not. Best of both worlds!
Personally I prefer a caravan but we haven't put out the money yet, all of our spare cash is tied up in ips, but I think setting aside some for a caravan (or tents and folding table etc) is a great move, just have to convince my dh.

 

[Trying2Learn]

Thank you all for your comments and input I really do appreciate it.

We went out on the boat over New Years and the kids whinged non stop, I'd booooard, no fish are biting, hoooooow much longer do we have to sit here. Yes I hear you we have given them the ungrateful talk but at the end of the day they are still kids.

Anyway got home at hubby said well lets sell it and try the caravan. So the boat is now on eBay and we are all patiently waiting.

Hope it sells tomorrow lol !!

I would have time to buy one and go away before the end of the month in between renovating our first IP. We like to be busy lol